Customer Reviews

Thimar

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So many beautiful and haunting passages throughout this recording and the deep source which this taps into is unmatched in any of Brahem's other works before or since.

The second piece "Kashf" is my personal favorite. "Kashf" the Arabic word meaning intuition, insight and discovery of unseen/unknown things, certainly transports one to a place they may never have visited before. And if this was all it would still be a worthwhile album, but there's so much more. The very next piece, deepens one's mood even further until the fourth where the Holland's double bass and Brahem's oud dance a musical duet. The lack of percussion is an important unifying thread through the tracks and allows the mind to fly and wander with the relaxed music.

This is music that can bring one to tears. No matter what you find in the reviews it's still indescribable and needs to be experienced. Unfortunately this trio of musicians hasn't recorded together again, which makes this even more special. A sublime recording of a very special synergy between the players and their instruments available for us to enjoy over and over.

Do yourself a favor, skip something else, and get this!

Enjoy.

If there is an earthquake and I have to grab something and run, it will be this CD. No music has ever touched my heart like this album, especially the second song. Do not buy this CD if your heart is not ready for a huge surge of emotions, and people listening to this album while driving may be subject to police charges for "driving under heavy influences". It may also be accused of causing insomnia, addiction and excessive memories (happy and sad), among many other things. Rated "R" for emotional maturity.

Thimar, by John Surman, Anouar Brahem and Dave Holland is one of my most favorous CDs. It is very good music for relaxing and for letting your thoughts wander and for dreaming away. It is definately music for the soul!

I have heard Brahem in concert several times and he must be one of the worlds best Oud (Lutt) players. I first heard him with Jan Garbarek, then I heard him in a fantastic concert in Oslo and imidiately went out and bought his first three CDs!

His music is based on the traditiones of north Africa and is maybe best classified as world music. But he has brought the music further by bringing in world class jazz musicans. In the CD "Khomsa" this did not work to good for me, maybe because the warmth of the oud was often lost in the other instruments.

This is one of his best CDs and maybe even better than his first two ones. The music is very contemplative and reminds me a bit of some of the best records of Ravi Shankar and classical indian music, but still easyer listening than ragas. I always brings this music when I travel and it is very often people get very enthusiastic about it. I usually return home without my tape. Quite many people love it and I must be one of the main pushers of his music! It is great when it is so easy to give pleasure to others!

Try to listen to it on this page, it may be the right music for you to!

Rich and resonant in tone, Brahem's oud blends well on this recording with the soprano sax and bass clarinet of John Surman and the bass of Dave Holland. The music defies tidy description: it sounds rooted in an Arabic tradition, but yet sounds modern. It is remarkable to hear these three musicians interact with each other, and it is even more remarkable when you stop to consider that Surman and Holland have not grown up playing Arabic music. It is clear that all three are remarkable musicians, and it is clear that they really enjoyed recording with one another. Without percussion, the music needs an anchoring force, and Holland's bass performs that role, supplying a pulse that the music can spring forth from, but also supplying a melodic voice from time to time as the three musicians weave in and out of each others' lines.

This is music that truly seems organic, music that truly seems to grow from musical seeds that all three musicians bring to their fruitful collaboration ("Thimar," by the way, means "fruits"). Veteran ECM engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug works his usual practical magic in blending these three distinctive yet sympathetic sounds together into a pleasing and distinguished mix.

This was my first exposure to the music of Anouar Brahem. I now am a rabid fan and possess at least five of his CDs. I will eventually own them all. All are highly listenable. He is a superb oud player steeped in the tradition but often strays into international waters with his unique compositional approach.

With jazz masters Dave Holland and John Surman rounding out the trio, Thimar is perhaps Brahem's most jazz inflected CD to date and it is a winner. The instrumentation of acoustic bass, sax and soulful oud are a perfect combination, The tunes, mostly written by Brahem are little tone poems that turn out to be supple vehicles for improvisation. With three strong players such as these, the results are spectacular. Although I love every track, the title track, penned by Dave Holland is my favorite. It is the most energetic and playful track on the CD and really shows the degree of virtuosity this trio can deploy. Thimar is an album to play over and over. It is not to be missed. I consider it to be a desert island recording and one of the crown jewels of the ECM catalog.
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Very well played and composed music, it brings all the stress out and leaves you cosy and full of peace. Another wonderful album full with the unexplainable sound of Brahem's oud.

Thimar touches the soul and the mind as well. Not a single redundant node is played, but those that are there all have meaning. The whole music is airy (with a lot of reverb thanks to ECM :-) and lacks Rabih Abou-Khalil's agressivity but not his energy. John Surman and Dave Holland are both great.

I think I can't say anything about the beauties of this work... You have to listen.

"Fruits"....the english translation of the title of this other masterpiece of Oriental Jazz....where Oriental is pointing not only to some of the oriental "Takht" instruments used here,but goes far beyond, to the melody and arrangements inspired from the deep Levant and Maure's heritage. Once again ECM prooves being the nest of these eagles in the world of true Melody Art. Every time I listen to this album, shivers and chills take over my body, to the point I can smell the magical scent of these "Fruits"....freshly harvested from some Heaven Tree...

For starters, ECM doesn't release junk. They just don't do it. If you are a fan of one ECM release you are a fan of them all. In this regard, ECM is one label that takes the guessing game out of purchasing music. All but two of the 11 tracks on here are original compositions by Brahem, with "Mazad" being composed by Holland and "Kernow" by Surman. Amidst the ripping bass lines of Dave Holland and the ardent musings of John Surman's soprano sax and bass clarinet, Brahem weaves his captivating strums upon the oud into this reflective outing. Bursting into a subdued musical rapture with two refined veterans of improvisation, Brahem manages to capture our imaginations and hold our attention throughout. One of those rare albums that one just listens to as the centerpiece of activity. (Beautiful)

I feel so lucky to have finally discovered this album. It is exactly what the other reviews have described--transcendent, emotionally mature (love that one), incredibly beautiful. I've only had it for a couple of weeks and have not fully explored all of it, but the strange, perfect evocation of faraway oases and vistas and other worlds is sublime. Badra is unique and simply outstanding, a miracle of artists at the top of their game, as is Kashf. I come from classical Western music, but appreciate a wide variety of other types though usually tire of popular pieces quickly. Not so with this album. Never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck every time with Badra and Kashf. I heard Badra as a sample on Pandora, was annoyed to find that the only way I could purchase it was by buying the entire album; but it has been a lovely investment. I do not like all of the songs as much as Badra/Kashf, and actively dislike one of them (don't remember which). But rarely, rarely does this exceptional quality of music come along.